I'm so tired of hearing about the Canadiens "speed'. More like the Bruins lethargy. My Bruins disappeared after game 2. Poor team defense, and a sudden, serial case of total insecurity. It's like they forgot their strengths, and became convinced they had to reinvent themselves to succeed. It's like they decided they were the Providence Bruins, taking on Gretzky's Oiler dynasty

Happens in sport, especially when everyone on the team fully understands they're "supposed to win". This is, and should be, very difficult to swallow. The Bruins didn't just lose, they were spanked, dominated by an inferior product over the last couple games.

The rookie d-corp got exposed. Rask wasn't horrible, but he didn't steal one, and teams need a couple of those from their goalie if they're going to go deep. The big dogs were as much to blame as the rookies, as they didn't do their jobs either. Perhaps more so, as they are the ones that supposedly set the tone. 7 of the top 9 were underwhelming.

Again, that happens. Everyone whose played anything at a high level, knows you can't just turn it on. Sometimes it's there, and sometimes it isn't. Trying and caring doesn't change things. You just work through it. Unfortunately at this time of year, that opportunity doesn't exist. It's also unfortunate that whatever malaise hit, it hit so many at the same time.

I hope the management group doesn't go all knee jerk. The silver lining is that this bunch took it 7 games, despite playing it's worst hockey of the season.

The Bruins have too much class to go on about the officiating, but my God, the league should be ashamed. Personally, I don't believe in a league conspiracy, but it's easy to see why plenty do.

These guys are supposed to be professionals, and they dispensed justice over 7 games like minor league refs doing their first games in front of a large crowd. In the Bruins defense, you can't establish much pressure when you're spending a good part of the game killing penalties. Stupid, mindless penalties that are called totally inconsistent with what everyone expects in a playoff series. Pro hockey has the dumbest officiating in all of pro sport, and it just happens to have more impact on the outcome, than any other sport. Any reasonable, logical, impartial hockey person would suggest the rules were respected fairly evenly among the 2 teams over 7 games, yet the Bruins were always thrown in a hole.

1 one goal game in the 7th game of the Stanley cup playoffs, and a guy gets a "snowjob' minor??? Can anyone imagine what would happen in Montreal if that call ever went the other way???? And the goalie interference???

If someone wants to hate Brad Marchand, that's their right as an illogical fan. NHL referee's are supposed to be above that. Way, way, way above that. And I'm not talking the "human factor" either. The human factor is to "miss something", not make something up. That's poor training, unprofessional conduct,.. partisan, biased behavior.

Doesn't matter if the other team scores. Being short handed kills momentum and the Canadiens were regularly rewarded with these little nuggets.

No single thing did in the Bruins, but they're good enough, that had any one of these things played out differently, they'd be looking forward to New York.

I'm so tired of hearing about the Canadiens "speed'. More like the Bruins lethargy. My Bruins disappeared after game 2. Poor team defense, and a sudden, serial case of total insecurity. It's like they forgot their strengths, and became convinced they had to reinvent themselves to succeed. It's like they decided they were the Providence Bruins, taking on Gretzky's Oiler dynasty

Happens in sport, especially when everyone on the team fully understands they're "supposed to win". This is, and should be, very difficult to swallow. The Bruins didn't just lose, they were spanked, dominated by an inferior product over the last couple games.

The rookie d-corp got exposed. Rask wasn't horrible, but he didn't steal one, and teams need a couple of those from their goalie if they're going to go deep. The big dogs were as much to blame as the rookies, as they didn't do their jobs either. Perhaps more so, as they are the ones that supposedly set the tone. 7 of the top 9 were underwhelming.

Again, that happens. Everyone whose played anything at a high level, knows you can't just turn it on. Sometimes it's there, and sometimes it isn't. Trying and caring doesn't change things. You just work through it. Unfortunately at this time of year, that opportunity doesn't exist. It's also unfortunate that whatever malaise hit, it hit so many at the same time.

I hope the management group doesn't go all knee jerk. The silver lining is that this bunch took it 7 games, despite playing it's worst hockey of the season.

The Bruins have too much class to go on about the officiating, but my God, the league should be ashamed. Personally, I don't believe in a league conspiracy, but it's easy to see why plenty do.

These guys are supposed to be professionals, and they dispensed justice over 7 games like minor league refs doing their first games in front of a large crowd. In the Bruins defense, you can't establish much pressure when you're spending a good part of the game killing penalties. Stupid, mindless penalties that are called totally inconsistent with what everyone expects in a playoff series. Pro hockey has the dumbest officiating in all of pro sport, and it just happens to have more impact on the outcome, than any other sport. Any reasonable, logical, impartial hockey person would suggest the rules were respected fairly evenly among the 2 teams over 7 games, yet the Bruins were always thrown in a hole.

1 one goal game in the 7th game of the Stanley cup playoffs, and a guy gets a "snowjob' minor??? Can anyone imagine what would happen in Montreal if that call ever went the other way???? And the goalie interference???

If someone wants to hate Brad Marchand, that's their right as an illogical fan. NHL referee's are supposed to be above that. Way, way, way above that. And I'm not talking the "human factor" either. The human factor is to "miss something", not make something up. That's poor training, unprofessional conduct,.. partisan, biased behavior.

Doesn't matter if the other team scores. Being short handed kills momentum and the Canadiens were regularly rewarded with these little nuggets.

No single thing did in the Bruins, but they're good enough, that had any one of these things played out differently, they'd be looking forward to New York.

Some great points. I'll add the dozen posts hit by the Bruins as one of the reasons they're headed for vacation; you MUST convert on your scoring opportunities in the playoffs. The Habs......as much as I hate them, made good on the few opportunities they got.....and they often came after the Bruins had been all over them for a good period of time. Those things kill.

stevegm, I didn't want to bring up the officiating. But, my god, it reminds me of the 70's and early 80's Bruins-Habs playoff refereeing. When do we ever get a break against the Habs in the playoffs?

Only Canadian team left and all of Canada will watch the Canadians. 30 million people makes it the largest single market for ad revenues, ratings, etc., easily twice as large as New York. There is a very strong commercial interest.

Michel Terrien is a really good coach. Say what you want about missed chances, goalposts, and bad officiating, but the Habs had a plan to eliminate the Bruins' system and executed it consistently for this series.

Having said that, this will forever be known as the playoff series the Bruins gave away.

CJ: when something isn't working, you have to make changes. Sometimes dramatic changes. It's admirable to stick with the guys who brung ya, but at some point you have to recognize those guys don't have it that night/series.

Tuukka was very, very good last night. No fault on any of the goals and he made some pretty fantastic saves. The D was pretty bad, especially Bart but Miller also spit the bit in the last two games.

Speaking of Bartkowski, he's the new Dennis Wideman. He has some admirable skills, but his mistakes almost always lead to goals against.

Who I liked last night: Soderberg, Eriksson, Hamilton, Krug, Boychuck. Bergeron was his usual solid self. Tuukka was very good. Chara was a mixed bag... played well at times, others looked like a lumbering ox. I guess 7 games of smurfs running at his knees wore him down.

Speaking of Soderberg, I kept wondering why he wasn't on the ice more?? Especially with the goalie pulled... why the heck do you put Chara out there and not the guy who was your best player throughout the series, if not the playoffs?? Sure enough looked at the stats after the game and Soderberg had 15+ minutes on the ice. What?!?

Lucic will never deserve the term "power forward" if he refuses to go to the front of the net. This is the Canadiens, for God's sake, not the Kings or Blackhawks. And Murray didn't play last night. It's inexcusable to have zero net-front presence the whole game, or for an "elite" forward to have zero shots in a game 7.

Tough decisions for the brass because you had so many guys who have been reliable and big-game/clutch performers who just disappeared in the playoffs. I hope they don't knee-jerk and realize having Seids back in the fold and another year of seasoning for the young D should make a big difference. This team is still built for the long haul.

Michel Terrien is a really good coach. Say what you want about missed chances, goalposts, and bad officiating, but the Habs had a plan to eliminate the Bruins' system and executed it consistently for this series.

Having said that, this will forever be known as the playoff series the Bruins gave away.

CJ: when something isn't working, you have to make changes. Sometimes dramatic changes. It's admirable to stick with the guys who brung ya, but at some point you have to recognize those guys don't have it that night/series.

Tuukka was very, very good last night. No fault on any of the goals and he made some pretty fantastic saves. The D was pretty bad, especially Bart but Miller also spit the bit in the last two games.

Speaking of Bartkowski, he's the new Dennis Wideman. He has some admirable skills, but his mistakes almost always lead to goals against.

Who I liked last night: Soderberg, Eriksson, Hamilton, Krug, Boychuck. Bergeron was his usual solid self. Tuukka was very good. Chara was a mixed bag... played well at times, others looked like a lumbering ox. I guess 7 games of smurfs running at his knees wore him down.

Speaking of Soderberg, I kept wondering why he wasn't on the ice more?? Especially with the goalie pulled... why the heck do you put Chara out there and not the guy who was your best player throughout the series, if not the playoffs?? Sure enough looked at the stats after the game and Soderberg had 15+ minutes on the ice. What?!?

Lucic will never deserve the term "power forward" if he refuses to go to the front of the net. This is the Canadiens, for God's sake, not the Kings or Blackhawks. And Murray didn't play last night. It's inexcusable to have zero net-front presence the whole game, or for an "elite" forward to have zero shots in a game 7.

Tough decisions for the brass because you had so many guys who have been reliable and big-game/clutch performers who just disappeared in the playoffs. I hope they don't knee-jerk and realize having Seids back in the fold and another year of seasoning for the young D should make a big difference. This team is still built for the long haul.

We'll get 'em next year!

You're not getting anyone next year unless they have a great draft or get a steal and get young players ready to step in

I'm so tired of hearing about the Canadiens "speed'. More like the Bruins lethargy. My Bruins disappeared after game 2. Poor team defense, and a sudden, serial case of total insecurity. It's like they forgot their strengths, and became convinced they had to reinvent themselves to succeed. It's like they decided they were the Providence Bruins, taking on Gretzky's Oiler dynasty

Happens in sport, especially when everyone on the team fully understands they're "supposed to win". This is, and should be, very difficult to swallow. The Bruins didn't just lose, they were spanked, dominated by an inferior product over the last couple games.

The rookie d-corp got exposed. Rask wasn't horrible, but he didn't steal one, and teams need a couple of those from their goalie if they're going to go deep. The big dogs were as much to blame as the rookies, as they didn't do their jobs either. Perhaps more so, as they are the ones that supposedly set the tone. 7 of the top 9 were underwhelming.

Again, that happens. Everyone whose played anything at a high level, knows you can't just turn it on. Sometimes it's there, and sometimes it isn't. Trying and caring doesn't change things. You just work through it. Unfortunately at this time of year, that opportunity doesn't exist. It's also unfortunate that whatever malaise hit, it hit so many at the same time.

I hope the management group doesn't go all knee jerk. The silver lining is that this bunch took it 7 games, despite playing it's worst hockey of the season.

The Bruins have too much class to go on about the officiating, but my God, the league should be ashamed. Personally, I don't believe in a league conspiracy, but it's easy to see why plenty do.

These guys are supposed to be professionals, and they dispensed justice over 7 games like minor league refs doing their first games in front of a large crowd. In the Bruins defense, you can't establish much pressure when you're spending a good part of the game killing penalties. Stupid, mindless penalties that are called totally inconsistent with what everyone expects in a playoff series. Pro hockey has the dumbest officiating in all of pro sport, and it just happens to have more impact on the outcome, than any other sport. Any reasonable, logical, impartial hockey person would suggest the rules were respected fairly evenly among the 2 teams over 7 games, yet the Bruins were always thrown in a hole.

1 one goal game in the 7th game of the Stanley cup playoffs, and a guy gets a "snowjob' minor??? Can anyone imagine what would happen in Montreal if that call ever went the other way???? And the goalie interference???

If someone wants to hate Brad Marchand, that's their right as an illogical fan. NHL referee's are supposed to be above that. Way, way, way above that. And I'm not talking the "human factor" either. The human factor is to "miss something", not make something up. That's poor training, unprofessional conduct,.. partisan, biased behavior.

Doesn't matter if the other team scores. Being short handed kills momentum and the Canadiens were regularly rewarded with these little nuggets.

No single thing did in the Bruins, but they're good enough, that had any one of these things played out differently, they'd be looking forward to New York.

A lot of good points here and a pretty good summary. One thing I'm not sure about was that the 'rookie' d-man really hurt them. I heard Claude say that the young/first year players might have been the difference, but I found that comment kind of puzzling.

We all saw Miller's ugly turnover at the beginning of game 6 and Bartkowski's blown coverage at the beginning of game 7, so I get where this is coming from. However, I thought that Krug and Hamilton were possibly the two best d-men for the Bruins. I thought Miller played mostly well. Claude did chose Miller and Bartkowski over some other veteran options, so I'm not sure he can use that as an excuse. I thought the amount of mistakes and sloppy play by veterans in the past two games was alarming.

To me the Bruins looked a little old and a lot uninspired. Like a group that already won a Cup, and won a Presidents trophy this year, that is just waiting to get to the finals. The veterans certainly seemed to lack the drive, focus, and passion that Cup-winning teams have. Perhaps the young guys made a lot of mistakes, but the veterans looked like the biggest problem to me.

I still compare this team to Chicago a lot, and I keep seeing Toews, Kane, and Keith coming through for them in big spots. It allows them to close out a Game 6 on the road.

I totally agree on Marchand, and whether it sounds like a cop-out or not, I think the Bruins had a bunch of luck and intangibles go against them. That stuff was big. You start to wonder if Marchand's reputation is something that the league and the Bruins can't get over. I thought the first penalty call was even worse than the snowing of the goalie call. Markov 'draws' a penalty by cross checking Marchand in the neck. It's just too easy for other team's to exploit this if the refs hold a grudge against Marchand. Not saying the grudge isn't deserved, but what do you do this guy now? I think Dave Jackson (the NHL simply shouldn't use refs from Montreal or Boston for these playoff series) was out to make a statement. He seemed pre-disposed. That shouldn't happen, but if it's going to, then it really hurts the value of someone like Marchand.

You can't help but wonder if some things that happened are still related to "The league has a Bruin problem" stuff and the endless propaganda from Montreal/Vancouver that the Bruins are dirty bullys running wild. Least powerplays in the league for the best team in the league (reg season) seems like an astounding phenomenon.

The posts were just infuriating...what can you say...this wasn't their year.

I agree with the bold lettering comment, as I was watching the Bs last night I was thinking of the Pittsburgh Pens slow decline since 2009. Minnesota also came to mind, their speed gave Chicago fits. It should be an interesting summer.

In response to Fletcher1's comment:

In response to stevegm's comment:

I'm so tired of hearing about the Canadiens "speed'. More like the Bruins lethargy. My Bruins disappeared after game 2. Poor team defense, and a sudden, serial case of total insecurity. It's like they forgot their strengths, and became convinced they had to reinvent themselves to succeed. It's like they decided they were the Providence Bruins, taking on Gretzky's Oiler dynasty

Happens in sport, especially when everyone on the team fully understands they're "supposed to win". This is, and should be, very difficult to swallow. The Bruins didn't just lose, they were spanked, dominated by an inferior product over the last couple games.

The rookie d-corp got exposed. Rask wasn't horrible, but he didn't steal one, and teams need a couple of those from their goalie if they're going to go deep. The big dogs were as much to blame as the rookies, as they didn't do their jobs either. Perhaps more so, as they are the ones that supposedly set the tone. 7 of the top 9 were underwhelming.

Again, that happens. Everyone whose played anything at a high level, knows you can't just turn it on. Sometimes it's there, and sometimes it isn't. Trying and caring doesn't change things. You just work through it. Unfortunately at this time of year, that opportunity doesn't exist. It's also unfortunate that whatever malaise hit, it hit so many at the same time.

I hope the management group doesn't go all knee jerk. The silver lining is that this bunch took it 7 games, despite playing it's worst hockey of the season.

The Bruins have too much class to go on about the officiating, but my God, the league should be ashamed. Personally, I don't believe in a league conspiracy, but it's easy to see why plenty do.

These guys are supposed to be professionals, and they dispensed justice over 7 games like minor league refs doing their first games in front of a large crowd. In the Bruins defense, you can't establish much pressure when you're spending a good part of the game killing penalties. Stupid, mindless penalties that are called totally inconsistent with what everyone expects in a playoff series. Pro hockey has the dumbest officiating in all of pro sport, and it just happens to have more impact on the outcome, than any other sport. Any reasonable, logical, impartial hockey person would suggest the rules were respected fairly evenly among the 2 teams over 7 games, yet the Bruins were always thrown in a hole.

1 one goal game in the 7th game of the Stanley cup playoffs, and a guy gets a "snowjob' minor??? Can anyone imagine what would happen in Montreal if that call ever went the other way???? And the goalie interference???

If someone wants to hate Brad Marchand, that's their right as an illogical fan. NHL referee's are supposed to be above that. Way, way, way above that. And I'm not talking the "human factor" either. The human factor is to "miss something", not make something up. That's poor training, unprofessional conduct,.. partisan, biased behavior.

Doesn't matter if the other team scores. Being short handed kills momentum and the Canadiens were regularly rewarded with these little nuggets.

No single thing did in the Bruins, but they're good enough, that had any one of these things played out differently, they'd be looking forward to New York.

A lot of good points here and a pretty good summary. One thing I'm not sure about was that the 'rookie' d-man really hurt them. I heard Claude say that the young/first year players might have been the difference, but I found that comment kind of puzzling.

We all saw Miller's ugly turnover at the beginning of game 6 and Bartkowski's blown coverage at the beginning of game 7, so I get where this is coming from. However, I thought that Krug and Hamilton were possibly the two best d-men for the Bruins. I thought Miller played mostly well. Claude did chose Miller and Bartkowski over some other veteran options, so I'm not sure he can use that as an excuse. I thought the amount of mistakes and sloppy play by veterans in the past two games was alarming.

To me the Bruins looked a little old and a lot uninspired. Like a group that already won a Cup, and won a Presidents trophy this year, that is just waiting to get to the finals. The veterans certainly seemed to lack the drive, focus, and passion that Cup-winning teams have. Perhaps the young guys made a lot of mistakes, but the veterans looked like the biggest problem to me.

I still compare this team to Chicago a lot, and I keep seeing Toews, Kane, and Keith coming through for them in big spots. It allows them to close out a Game 6 on the road.

I totally agree on Marchand, and whether it sounds like a cop-out or not, I think the Bruins had a bunch of luck and intangibles go against them. That stuff was big. You start to wonder if Marchand's reputation is something that the league and the Bruins can't get over. I thought the first penalty call was even worse than the snowing of the goalie call. Markov 'draws' a penalty by cross checking Marchand in the neck. It's just too easy for other team's to exploit this if the refs hold a grudge against Marchand. Not saying the grudge isn't deserved, but what do you do this guy now? I think Dave Jackson (the NHL simply shouldn't use refs from Montreal or Boston for these playoff series) was out to make a statement. He seemed pre-disposed. That shouldn't happen, but if it's going to, then it really hurts the value of someone like Marchand.

You can't help but wonder if some things that happened are still related to "The league has a Bruin problem" stuff and the endless propaganda from Montreal/Vancouver that the Bruins are dirty bullys running wild. Least powerplays in the league for the best team in the league (reg season) seems like an astounding phenomenon.

The posts were just infuriating...what can you say...this wasn't their year.

I'm so tired of hearing about the Canadiens "speed'. More like the Bruins lethargy. My Bruins disappeared after game 2. Poor team defense, and a sudden, serial case of total insecurity. It's like they forgot their strengths, and became convinced they had to reinvent themselves to succeed. It's like they decided they were the Providence Bruins, taking on Gretzky's Oiler dynasty

Happens in sport, especially when everyone on the team fully understands they're "supposed to win". This is, and should be, very difficult to swallow. The Bruins didn't just lose, they were spanked, dominated by an inferior product over the last couple games.

The rookie d-corp got exposed. Rask wasn't horrible, but he didn't steal one, and teams need a couple of those from their goalie if they're going to go deep. The big dogs were as much to blame as the rookies, as they didn't do their jobs either. Perhaps more so, as they are the ones that supposedly set the tone. 7 of the top 9 were underwhelming.

Again, that happens. Everyone whose played anything at a high level, knows you can't just turn it on. Sometimes it's there, and sometimes it isn't. Trying and caring doesn't change things. You just work through it. Unfortunately at this time of year, that opportunity doesn't exist. It's also unfortunate that whatever malaise hit, it hit so many at the same time.

I hope the management group doesn't go all knee jerk. The silver lining is that this bunch took it 7 games, despite playing it's worst hockey of the season.

The Bruins have too much class to go on about the officiating, but my God, the league should be ashamed. Personally, I don't believe in a league conspiracy, but it's easy to see why plenty do.

These guys are supposed to be professionals, and they dispensed justice over 7 games like minor league refs doing their first games in front of a large crowd. In the Bruins defense, you can't establish much pressure when you're spending a good part of the game killing penalties. Stupid, mindless penalties that are called totally inconsistent with what everyone expects in a playoff series. Pro hockey has the dumbest officiating in all of pro sport, and it just happens to have more impact on the outcome, than any other sport. Any reasonable, logical, impartial hockey person would suggest the rules were respected fairly evenly among the 2 teams over 7 games, yet the Bruins were always thrown in a hole.

1 one goal game in the 7th game of the Stanley cup playoffs, and a guy gets a "snowjob' minor??? Can anyone imagine what would happen in Montreal if that call ever went the other way???? And the goalie interference???

If someone wants to hate Brad Marchand, that's their right as an illogical fan. NHL referee's are supposed to be above that. Way, way, way above that. And I'm not talking the "human factor" either. The human factor is to "miss something", not make something up. That's poor training, unprofessional conduct,.. partisan, biased behavior.

Doesn't matter if the other team scores. Being short handed kills momentum and the Canadiens were regularly rewarded with these little nuggets.

No single thing did in the Bruins, but they're good enough, that had any one of these things played out differently, they'd be looking forward to New York.

In another post I suggested that "commercial interests", aka NBA-style conspiracy theory as a factor; while plausible I don't think that's the refs/leagues motivation. I actually think it is a combination of two more emotional and cultural factors that led to the biased officiating that helped keep the Bruins off balance. First, when CJ called the officiating "crap" earlier in the series that didn't help; one thing I know about "management" is when subordinates call them out, even when right as CJ was, they usually assert their authority and double down on the "crap", which is exactly what happened in game 7 in which the officiating bore no resemblance to traditional game 7 mores. It was crap on steroids! Second, Canadian NHLers (announcers, refs, league officials ) still harbor anti-US and pro-Canadian hockey biases; not as bad as the League's treatment of Robbie Ftoreck, who should have been its first US star (Ftorek was better than Patrick Kane in my eyes), but it is still there - cultural prejudice quells slowly not all at once.

Lastly, I just spoke with a Penguins fan and asked him about the officiating and corroborated my view that it was both biased to favor Montreal and had no resemblance to traditional game 7 norms. The NHL should be embarrassed, but I don't think they are at all.

I'm so tired of hearing about the Canadiens "speed'. More like the Bruins lethargy. My Bruins disappeared after game 2. Poor team defense, and a sudden, serial case of total insecurity. It's like they forgot their strengths, and became convinced they had to reinvent themselves to succeed. It's like they decided they were the Providence Bruins, taking on Gretzky's Oiler dynasty

Happens in sport, especially when everyone on the team fully understands they're "supposed to win". This is, and should be, very difficult to swallow. The Bruins didn't just lose, they were spanked, dominated by an inferior product over the last couple games.

The rookie d-corp got exposed. Rask wasn't horrible, but he didn't steal one, and teams need a couple of those from their goalie if they're going to go deep. The big dogs were as much to blame as the rookies, as they didn't do their jobs either. Perhaps more so, as they are the ones that supposedly set the tone. 7 of the top 9 were underwhelming.

Again, that happens. Everyone whose played anything at a high level, knows you can't just turn it on. Sometimes it's there, and sometimes it isn't. Trying and caring doesn't change things. You just work through it. Unfortunately at this time of year, that opportunity doesn't exist. It's also unfortunate that whatever malaise hit, it hit so many at the same time.

I hope the management group doesn't go all knee jerk. The silver lining is that this bunch took it 7 games, despite playing it's worst hockey of the season.

The Bruins have too much class to go on about the officiating, but my God, the league should be ashamed. Personally, I don't believe in a league conspiracy, but it's easy to see why plenty do.

These guys are supposed to be professionals, and they dispensed justice over 7 games like minor league refs doing their first games in front of a large crowd. In the Bruins defense, you can't establish much pressure when you're spending a good part of the game killing penalties. Stupid, mindless penalties that are called totally inconsistent with what everyone expects in a playoff series. Pro hockey has the dumbest officiating in all of pro sport, and it just happens to have more impact on the outcome, than any other sport. Any reasonable, logical, impartial hockey person would suggest the rules were respected fairly evenly among the 2 teams over 7 games, yet the Bruins were always thrown in a hole.

1 one goal game in the 7th game of the Stanley cup playoffs, and a guy gets a "snowjob' minor??? Can anyone imagine what would happen in Montreal if that call ever went the other way???? And the goalie interference???

If someone wants to hate Brad Marchand, that's their right as an illogical fan. NHL referee's are supposed to be above that. Way, way, way above that. And I'm not talking the "human factor" either. The human factor is to "miss something", not make something up. That's poor training, unprofessional conduct,.. partisan, biased behavior.

Doesn't matter if the other team scores. Being short handed kills momentum and the Canadiens were regularly rewarded with these little nuggets.

No single thing did in the Bruins, but they're good enough, that had any one of these things played out differently, they'd be looking forward to New York.

In another post I suggested that "commercial interests", aka NBA-style conspiracy theory as a factor; while plausible I don't think that's the refs/leagues motivation. I actually think it is a combination of two more emotional and cultural factors that led to the biased officiating that helped keep the Bruins off balance. First, when CJ called the officiating "crap" earlier in the series that didn't help; one thing I know about "management" is when subordinates call them out, even when right as CJ was, they usually assert their authority and double down on the "crap", which is exactly what happened in game 7 in which the officiating bore no resemblance to traditional game 7 mores. It was crap on steroids! Second, Canadian NHLers (announcers, refs, league officials ) still harbor anti-US and pro-Canadian hockey biases; not as bad as the League's treatment of Robbie Ftoreck, who should have been its first US star (Ftorek was better than Patrick Kane in my eyes), but it is still there - cultural prejudice quells slowly not all at once.

Lastly, I just spoke with a Penguins fan and asked him about the officiating and corroborated my view that it was both biased to favor Montreal and had no resemblance to traditional game 7 norms. The NHL should be embarrassed, but I don't think they are at all.

OK. Really disagree with the notions the refs were 'doubling down' and the "cultural' card. Boston is notorious for "not" being all over officials. Montreal always is. I don't blame them. Chicago was last year. The squeaky wheel does get greased. The Bruins need to yang like everyone else. They just need to figure out a way to do it...that furthers their cause.

There is nothing more routine in Canada, than a Canadian supporting a US hockey team. It's as common as it gets. A great example is the public outcry that resulted in the pressor from a Canadian bank over the Chara-Paccioretti incident a few years ago.. The bank felt that they were pandering support by speaking out in facour of the Canadian team. Canadians, as a whole, regardless of their team affiliation, didn't appreciate that at all, and the strategy backfired. Certainly, there are pockets of pro Canada, just like there are pockets of pro, and anti everywhere. Nothing prevalent though.

In this instance, just poor officiating, sprinkled with maybe a bit of local bias.

The league didn't give a hoot about Robbie Ftorek. They don't market or make the stars. Teams do. In his era, the NHL bestowed it's highest honor for a defenseman to Rod Langway, who just happens to be of the same nationality.

Although I agree totally with the premise, "Old and uninspired" can really point us in the wrong direction. If you appear "uninspired", you automatically look "old" too. You'll also look "slow", if you're uninspired.

If we leave all of those words in there, it's just so easy to come to a flawed conclusion.

If the team is too old, which obviously makes them slow, then the obvious fix is to replace the older players.

Based on what hapenned over 7 games, there's no reason to think that's correct.

Krejki, Lucic, Marchand and Ericsson looked just as "old and slow" as Chara and Iginla....but they're not. They only played as "uninspired" as that other group.

Nothing more than an epic, team wide slump, coupled with at best, 1/3 of the d-corp being minor league level.

I'm so tired of hearing about the Canadiens "speed'. More like the Bruins lethargy. My Bruins disappeared after game 2. Poor team defense, and a sudden, serial case of total insecurity. It's like they forgot their strengths, and became convinced they had to reinvent themselves to succeed. It's like they decided they were the Providence Bruins, taking on Gretzky's Oiler dynasty

Happens in sport, especially when everyone on the team fully understands they're "supposed to win". This is, and should be, very difficult to swallow. The Bruins didn't just lose, they were spanked, dominated by an inferior product over the last couple games.

The rookie d-corp got exposed. Rask wasn't horrible, but he didn't steal one, and teams need a couple of those from their goalie if they're going to go deep. The big dogs were as much to blame as the rookies, as they didn't do their jobs either. Perhaps more so, as they are the ones that supposedly set the tone. 7 of the top 9 were underwhelming.

Again, that happens. Everyone whose played anything at a high level, knows you can't just turn it on. Sometimes it's there, and sometimes it isn't. Trying and caring doesn't change things. You just work through it. Unfortunately at this time of year, that opportunity doesn't exist. It's also unfortunate that whatever malaise hit, it hit so many at the same time.

I hope the management group doesn't go all knee jerk. The silver lining is that this bunch took it 7 games, despite playing it's worst hockey of the season.

The Bruins have too much class to go on about the officiating, but my God, the league should be ashamed. Personally, I don't believe in a league conspiracy, but it's easy to see why plenty do.

These guys are supposed to be professionals, and they dispensed justice over 7 games like minor league refs doing their first games in front of a large crowd. In the Bruins defense, you can't establish much pressure when you're spending a good part of the game killing penalties. Stupid, mindless penalties that are called totally inconsistent with what everyone expects in a playoff series. Pro hockey has the dumbest officiating in all of pro sport, and it just happens to have more impact on the outcome, than any other sport. Any reasonable, logical, impartial hockey person would suggest the rules were respected fairly evenly among the 2 teams over 7 games, yet the Bruins were always thrown in a hole.

1 one goal game in the 7th game of the Stanley cup playoffs, and a guy gets a "snowjob' minor??? Can anyone imagine what would happen in Montreal if that call ever went the other way???? And the goalie interference???

If someone wants to hate Brad Marchand, that's their right as an illogical fan. NHL referee's are supposed to be above that. Way, way, way above that. And I'm not talking the "human factor" either. The human factor is to "miss something", not make something up. That's poor training, unprofessional conduct,.. partisan, biased behavior.

Doesn't matter if the other team scores. Being short handed kills momentum and the Canadiens were regularly rewarded with these little nuggets.

No single thing did in the Bruins, but they're good enough, that had any one of these things played out differently, they'd be looking forward to New York.

Some great points. I'll add the dozen posts hit by the Bruins as one of the reasons they're headed for vacation; you MUST convert on your scoring opportunities in the playoffs. The Habs......as much as I hate them, made good on the few opportunities they got.....and they often came after the Bruins had been all over them for a good period of time. Those things kill.

Bruins trade of Sequin will haunt them for years to come. Marco correct in saying Erickson overrated in forum all year long. Watched all games and only saw a 3rd line player. No speed , no shot and no hitting. Chirelli traded Their fastest player for cement legs due to a little immaturity...The B's will be hard pressed to get another shot at a superstar for years to come. He at minimum could have at least hit an open net which a few Bruins couldn't do. Try trading Louis now and see what you can get. Maybe have to throw in a draft pick for some1 to take him.

I think we watched the same game. And there will be a lot of infuriating stupidity in the air as trolls troll and fans vent. I mean, marco's on his hobby horse about Eriksson and Soderberg because the silver lining here for him is he can claim he knew it allllll along, but on the Lucic thread marco is actually the voice of reason. Go figure. Somewhere on this board, Stanley is crowing about Merlot giving up the first goal.

In the cold light of day, they got beat. The simplest way to put it, for me, is that they lost the mental game. Coaches have to take some responsibility for not having a counter to Therrien jumping their system plays and breakouts. Montreal showed its hand and it sure was obvious what they were trying to do, so why did the Bruins not tweak a few things? I saw two instances when they did something that was clearly a response to the way the Canadiens were pressuring and I thought it might be coaching, but it was a player making a play - Chara faked a the usual reverse behind the net and then went with the grain rather than against etc. There's a lot to say about the fact that, other than Chara and Boychuk, 20 year old Hamilton was the most experienced blueliner. He was also the best...but when the pressure mounted, you can't reasonably expect the 20 year old to carry the unit. And the impact of the inexperience was so tangible from Miller's gaffe in game 6 and his bad pass icing that led to goal two last night; Bartkowski's penalty in game 1 that led to the OT goal and his old man in a hat driving a lincoln sized blindspot that allowed Weise to slide up beside him and score uncontested - first goals and last goals were directly related to blown plays or coverages by the rooks.

Overconfidence is one explanation. I can't imagine they would ever overlook Montreal, but it sure seemed like they might have been conserving energy for a rematch with Chicago. Did they get caught reading their clippings? And the way the series played out, it was like they seemed to think they could flip the switch when they needed it. Comeback in game one and lose because Price gets help from the posts in OT and Bartkowski takes a stupid penalty. Comeback in game two from two down and then they seemed to relax - like they had it back on track. Lose game 3 in Montreal but then win two straight. All while playing less than good. So they had reason to think that they didn't need their A+ game to beat Montreal...until they couldn't find their A+ game when they needed it.

On the officiating, I couldn't believe my ears when the CBC announcers were actually call Montreal on the sneaky trips. They showed two or three slewfoot plays in quick succession on one series. Want to know why Montreal won races to the puck all the time? Holding the stick and kicking a guy's feet out sure makes it easier. Every non-Bruin fan's response to this is "Well, Marchand." That's one guy. This is systemic. I saw at least 7 or 8 different Montreal players do this strategically on a regular basis.

I doubt Chiarelli makes major changes. I've had the feeling since early on that Eriksson would have a significantly better year next year, and a full year of him playing with Soderberg and a steady LW could be very productive. Maybe that's where Marchand should go.... They integrated Iginla, Eriksson, Soderberg, Smith, Krug, Bartkowski, Miller into the everyday lineup this year. It's amazing they were as successful as they were in the regular season. Other than Iginla, I don't see any reason why any of those guys would be worse next year than this year, and I don't see a need to change the core, so I'm not sure what Chiarelli would change to make the team better. They lost a series. Let's hope they learn from it the way they did the Philly series.

Bs must make some changes.Not wholesale by any means but they can't just put out the same team again and expect any different result. They need speed, much more discipline and to be relatively injury free.